Be Still And Know

READ: Acts 2.1-4 NLT 'On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.' Pentecost Sunday marks the birthday of the church. Jesus had asked his followers to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit – and now he has arrived. Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival and was held fifty days after Passover. It was one of the three annual pilgrimage festivals and so Jerusalem would have been heaving with pilgrims from all over the region. The group of Jesus’ followers was probably gathered in the upper room where they had been in the habit of meeting. One can imagine them meeting quietly and prayerfully as they had done since the time of Jesus’ As

READ: Proverbs 16.32 NLT 'Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.' It’s good for us to ask the question, “What matters most in life?”. Time and again the book of Proverbs helps us to think through this question. Many people would assume that it is good to be powerful and to have control of people and even whole communities. Some would want to be a powerful politician or the head of a major company. To be in charge of a whole city might seem like an amazing and very desirable achievement. But the writer observes that it is far more important to have patience and self-control than to have great power and influence. He is talking about what the New Testament describes as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Bible never suggests that it is wrong to have wealth or power. If either of them have come your way then you should give thanks to God for them. What matters is that we put them in their proper place. They are nowhere near as important as living for God with the lo

READ: Proverbs 13.11 NLT 'Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.' Oscar Wilde wrote, ”The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” That seems to summarise a lot of people’s thinking about work. Work is seen as something bad which needs to be avoided if at all possible, and if it can’t be avoided immediately then one should aim to retire as early as possible. This thinking is in complete contrast with Proverbs where work is seen as something inherently good. It is worklessness and laziness which are to be avoided at all costs. It is interesting that the writer of Proverbs refers to get-rich-quick schemes. This all sounds very modern, but the fact is that throughout the whole of history people have wanted to find shortcuts to wealth. There’s nothing new about laziness! God wants us to work hard because it not only provides for our needs and those around us, but also enables us to bless other people with the gifts that God has giv

READ: Proverbs 12.15-16 NLT 'Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.' The language of Proverbs is very black and white. The writer speaks of the wise and does everything he can think of to illustrate how wonderful it is to live in this way. It’s a life of happiness, prosperity and peace and is marked by humility, grace and generosity. It stands in complete contrast to the fool whose way of life is miserable, poor and full of conflict. I suspect that all of us recognise that we lurch between these two extremes. We can see the huge blessings of being wise but have to admit that we are still capable of foolishness at times. If that describes you (and it certainly describes me) the value of Proverbs is that it gives us some clear practical pointers to how to live wisely. These verses give us two pieces of valuable advice. Firstly, listen to others with care because by doing so we are allowing ourselves to be blessed b

READ: Proverbs 11.24-25 NLT 'Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.' The whole Bible is concerned with the issue of money and what to do with it, and Proverbs devotes a huge amount of energy to the issue. The quick summary of his teaching is that if you use money badly it will destroy you and those around you. But the writer also paints a picture of the wise use of money and that is wonderfully attractive, because, when it is used well, money brings life to everyone it touches. At the heart of the wise use of money is generosity. Generosity is a key theme throughout the Bible’s teaching on money for the simple reason that God is always generous. In our use of money God is inviting us to reflect his nature. In his teaching on the subject the apostle Paul writes, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corint

READ: Proverbs 10.19-21 NLT 'Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.' I love the straightforward and down-to-earth language of this amazing book. Written nearly three thousand years ago, the words leap off the page as if they were written yesterday and the writer forces us to sit up and take note. He offers wise advice on a wide range of life issues and all of it is intended to help us to keep our eyes fixed on living life to the full, by walking in the ways that please God. And God loves it when we use our words carefully. Words can build or they can destroy. They can leave people encouraged or depressed. In short, opening our mouth is a huge responsibility and so we need to ensure that our tongue is under control and, if we can’t do that, to keep our mouths shut. The writer encourages his readers to see the

READ: Proverbs 6.9-11 NLT 'But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.' Laziness is the subject of many fridge magnets. “I’m not lazy, I’m on power-saving mode” caught my eye and “I always say “morning” instead of “good morning”, because if it was a good morning, I’d still be asleep.” Laziness is seen as a very amusing and even desirable way of life. The writer of the proverbs strongly disagrees and points to the example of ants who are constantly industrious. “Learn from their ways and be wise!” he writes. At the heart of his concern is that lazy people run the risk of poverty and expose themselves and their family to risk. The apostle Paul also has some very harsh things to say about laziness. In his second letter to the Thessalonians he warns the church to “stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness

READ: Acts 1.24-26 NLT Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. After the Ascension of Jesus, the eleven disciples needed to find a successor to Judas Iscariot. They chose two candidates whom they considered to be suitable, Barsabbas and Matthias. We don’t know anything about them but clearly they had spent time with Jesus and were part of the wider circle of his followers. What might strike you as strange is that, having committed the decision to God in prayer, they then cast lots. This certainly isn’t a method that I have ever employed but it was their way of leaving the decision up to God. They played their part in choosing people who they believed to appropriately qualified, but then they let God decide. We don’t hear of anyone else casting lots in this way in

READ: Acts 1.12 and 14 NLT 'Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying... They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.' The days between Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost were filled with prayer. All the disciples knew was that they had to wait and they didn’t want to do this alone. We read that they met together in an upper room and this may well have been the place where they had gathered for the Last Supper. What matters is that they were together and it is interesting to note that the eleven disciples were joined by Jesus’ mother and his brothers. We know little about Jesus’ brothers but John records that, prior to his death, they did not believe in him (John 7.5). What an amazing time of prayer that must have been! Jesus had told them that the Holy Spirit would be poured out

READ: Acts 1.9-11 NLT Jesus was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” The Ascension of Jesus brought his ministry on earth to an end in an amazing way. It is not surprising that the disciples looked intently into the sky to see where he had gone. I am sure we would have all done the same. As they stood there they were informed that the day will come when Jesus will return in the same way as he left. The Second Coming of Jesus should be our confident expectation. It should be constantly in our minds, not as a threat but as the most wonderful promise. When I was a small boy I must confess that I thought of it entirely as a threat and whenever I couldn’t find my mother in the house,

READ: Acts 1.8 NLT Jesus said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What an amazing day this must have been for the disciples. They are just about to see Jesus disappear before their eyes and before he does so he gives them their marching orders. They are commissioned to take the Good News to the world, no less. These days we know a great deal about the world and can easily communicate across the globe. But for Jesus’ disciples this must have seemed an overwhelming challenge. Where on earth would they start? Jesus wanted his disciples to know that they were all witnesses. They had seen and heard things which needed to be shared. We don’t all have an evangelistic gift, something which is often said to have been given to about 10 percent of Christians. But we are all witnesses. Our means of communication have changed completely since the first century

READ: Acts 1.3-4 NLT During the forty days after Jesus suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised.” Dr Luke wrote two books – his gospel and what is often called “The Acts of the Apostles”. The first tells us what happened during Jesus’ earthly ministry and the second describes the story of the birth and growth of the church. However, before Dr Luke launched into the story of the church, he wanted his readers to know that there is no doubt about Jesus’ resurrection. He knew that everything hinged on the historical resurrection of Jesus. He informs us that Jesus met with his disciples on a number of occasions and even shared meals with them. It was clearly a tumultuous time for the disciples. They had experienced the trauma of Jesus’ appalling death,

READ: Psalm 56.1-3 NLT 'O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.' On a number of occasions I have stayed in Benedictine monasteries in this country and in France. Their way of life is very different from my own, but I have been incredibly blessed by the opportunity to worship with them. Honesty forces me to admit that I didn’t attend all eight of the daily services! What I found particularly impressive was that, at every service, psalms are read and the whole psalter is read every week. There is huge value in reading all the psalms because they explore so many different themes. If you stick with your top five favourite psalms, the danger is that you may come away feeling that they are all about praising and glorifying God and you might overlook the fact that many of them reflect times of agony, rejection and threat. The psalmists met G

READ: Psalm 52.8-9 NLT 'But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.' This passage from Psalm 52 begins with a ‘but’ as David contrasted himself with Doeg the Edomite, who had been seeking to stir up trouble for him with Saul. David has some harsh things to say about Doeg who had been bent on David’s destruction. David reflects that he had decided to live his own life very differently. His desire was to be like an olive tree, a tree that was not only famous for surviving well in a demanding and hot climate but also for its longevity. Olive trees often survive for over a thousand years. They only have a shallow root system but their tap roots keep them supplied with moisture even in the harshest terrain. Like David, many of us will have met people like Doeg, who see it as their business to trip us up. It’s really tough w

READ: Psalm 51.1-2 NLT 'Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.' The background to this psalm is well known. King David had committed adultery and he had been found out. The penalty for this crime in the Jewish law was death. However, David repented of his sin and God showed him generosity in forgiving his wrongdoing. To suggest that David was relieved would be a piece of ridiculous understatement. This psalm is both a celebration of God’s forgiveness and of the new life which opened up for him as a result. The evil one will always seek to persuade us that sin is not actually that serious. Everyone does it and we really shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it. And, in any event, the sins which other people commit are far worse than anything we would ever think of doing ourselves. Just look at some of the stories in today’s newspapers. In these, and a thousand other ways, we seek t

READ: Psalm 48.1-3 NLT 'How great is the Lord, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers, revealing himself as its defender.' I will never forget my first sight of Old Jerusalem. The golden limestone walls of Old Jerusalem were set against a deep blue sky. It was absolutely beautiful and immediately triggered the memory of psalms like this one which praise the magnificence and beauty of the city. Jerusalem has a central place in the Bible. It was here that Abraham offered to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Centuries later David established Jerusalem as his capital city and his son Solomon then built the glorious Temple. Although Jesus lived in Galilee in the north, he frequently visited Jerusalem and it was here that he was crucified and rose from death. It was in this city that the Spirit was poured out

READ: Psalm 47.1 NLT 'Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!' I once went to visit some friends who were doing mission work in Southern Pakistan close to the Sind desert. It was very, very hot. I remember how keen they were to prevent any draughts because the searing heat was too much to bear, even through the smallest gaps. On Sunday I went to their mud hut church and, as I entered, I was given a percussion instrument to play. I wasn’t asked if I wanted one or if I had any musical gifts! Everyone was given an instrument. The service that followed was in a language that I didn’t know at all but it really didn’t matter because it was clear that we were worshipping the Lord and I was totally involved in it with my newly acquired drum. The psalms very often encourage everyone to get involved in worship. Whatever our gifts, background or mood we all need to worship God. Whatever kind of worship we are used to, whether it is based on a prepared liturgy or is free and charismatic, there c

READ: 1 Corinthians 14.1 NLT 'Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.' 1 Corinthians chapter 13 is a really famous chapter and rightly so. But the fact is that Paul didn’t write in chapters. Chapter divisions arrived about 1,200 years later! So, whenever we see a chapter division, we need to, at least, peer at what happens next. This is really important in this particular letter because if you only looked at chapter 13 you might think that love is so important that you can forget about the gifts of the Spirit. After all, they have got a limited shelf life as Paul has just explained. But here at the start of chapter 14 he makes it plain that we all need to make love the goal of our lives and, at the same time, we need to seek after the wonderful gifts that the Holy Spirit wants to give us. The church in Corinth had got into a horrible muddle about spiritual gifts and Paul is trying to straighten them out. Their meeting

READ: 1 Corinthians 13 8, 9 and 13 NLT 'Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.' I don’t know about you but I don’t like throwing things away. I am writing this on a laptop. A new laptop. I hung on to the last one for as long as possible. It was starting to run very slowly, and sometimes didn’t want to start at all. I was prepared to concede that it had good days and bad days, because we all do, but, in the end, I had to admit that I was devoting too much of my life to waiting for it to spring into action. The truth is, of course, that all our possessions have a limited life. Our cars, our microwaves, our beds, our desks and even our homes don’t last for ever. The same principle exists in the spiritual realm as well. Our spiritual gifts are a wonderful blessing but they come to an end. Speaking in tongues, prophecy, preaching, words of knowledge are

READ: 1 Corinthians 13.11-12 NLT 'When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.' When I was about four years old I can recall being very confused when I met new people. I presumed that they had just been made, because I had never seen them before! I had recently tumbled to the fact that people die, and that was probably because one of my grandfathers died at around that time. I came up with a theory that God probably took the bits of dead people and used them to make the new people that I had just met. It was all very logical and, in its way, quite impressive. It just happened to be wrong! When we are children, our minds struggle to understand the world around us and that’s absolutely fine be